Book Reviews

Andrew Crow, editor

Empowering Song: Music Education from the Margins

André de Quadros and Emilie Amrein

Routledge, 2023

159 pages, $14.72 Kindle version; $50.35 hardcover

ISBN:

978-0-367-56249-6 (hbk)

978-0-367-63033-1 (pbk)

978-1-003-09715-0 (ebk)

In this groundbreaking book, André de Quadros and Emilie Amrein bring their experiences in the Massachusetts State Prison and at the U.S.-Mexico border to bear on a critique of conventional American music education and build a framework for a more just music pedagogy. Derived from the works of Paulo Freire 1 and Augusto Boal,2 among many other activists and theorists, the Empowering Song pedagogical framework is collective, non-hierarchical, narrative-driven, embodied, creative, and justiceoriented. If these qualities seem undefined, that is because the authors seek to avoid anything prescriptive; rather, they present these values as a springboard for questioning, invention, and further study. As such, this book is excellent for a graduate seminar or a music education course, or for anyone in a position of musical leadership.

De Quadros and Amrein spend most of the book critiquing the structures of white supremacy, colonialism, and carcerality embedded in the American music-making world. They point out that “choral music” deserves a broader definition than “the kind of music-making derived from the European group singing traditions found in churches and concert halls,”3 which disregards communal singing such as work songs, celebrations, and the transmission of oral history and culture. This narrow definition of choral singing is dependent on rigid hierarchies that privilege the conductor and composer, enforce assimilation into a bel canto aesthetic, and focus on product/performance. The authors argue that in American music classrooms the body is separate from, and inferior to, the mind—often ignored except to be harnessed to produce the technically correct sound. This suppression of bodily wisdom reinforces colonial attitudes toward difference, marginalizing “the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, and the disabled.”4

De Quadros and Amrein are vague about how exactly to avoid these structural injustices, presenting instead narratives of the work they

1 Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 30th Anniversary ed., trans. Mayra Bergman Ramos (New York: Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd., 1970/2000).

2 have done in prisons, their own classrooms, and at the border. These music-making sessions vary widely, depending on the context, but they all feature circular seating, musical and artistic improvisation, dialogue and storytelling, and embodiment in the form of pantomime, dance, and meditation. They advocate for regular practices of deep listening and collective decision making about repertoire, expression, performance, and meaning.

The authors create music in places of suffering, yet they do not specify what boundaries they employ around trauma to ensure the sense of safety they urge conductors to generate in the choral rehearsal. Indeed, their “consideration of healing body-mind in the educational space”5 seems to blur the lines between trauma-informed pedagogy and the type of trauma work that should only be done with a licensed professional. De Quadros and Amrein also do not specify what role consent and agency over level of vulnerability play in their music contexts. This is a crucial aspect of the type of liberatory pedagogy they are presenting.

Empowering Song is the first step in the conversation about decolonized pedagogy that questions fundamental practices and beliefs in this field. The authors have done an excellent job of translating the works of such luminaries as bell hooks, Michael Foucault, James Baldwin, Paulo Freire, and Augusto Boal into the music education context. Hopefully, another volume will gather data and create a more concrete praxis of decolonized pedagogy.

—Jessie Flasschoen Campbell

Dr. Jessie Flasschoen Campbell received her D.M.A. in Choral Conducting and Literature from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2023.

Teaching Beyond the Music: Tools for Addressing Societal Challenges Through the Arts

Jason Max Ferdinand

GIA Publications, 2023

80 pages, soft cover $28.95

ISBN: 978-1-62277-737-2

Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) is a vital component for music teachers today. Jason Max Ferdinand’s multimedia resource Teaching Beyond the Music goes beyond culturally relevant pedagogy theories and simulated/situated findings by providing a framework for the application of CRT. Ferdinand compiles eight modules (created by current music educators) that not only address the needs or problems presented by societal challenges but provide step-by-step actions for choral artists working with culturally, ethnically, and artistically diverse singers. A brief description of the modules are as follows:

1.“Culturally Responsive Me” (Lulu Mwangi Mupfumbu) focuses on using student culture to make connections. It would be ideal for readers to begin with Mupfumbu’s self-assessment tool at the end of the module prior to starting. Regardless of their knowledge base, music educators must have a foundation in reflexive practices that highlight personal biases, communication styles, and expression of competency within the music learning process.

2.“Why We Sing” (Ryan Marsh) focuses on cultivating student-led arts advocacy. Marsh’s activities provide an opportunity for students to champion music by exploring and analyzing cultural humility and cultural competence.

3.“Our World Music” (Logan Caywood) expands upon the previous modules of cultural diversity knowledge base to the cultural congruity of analyzing, teaching, performing, and assessing ethnically and culturally diverse music. Readers can use this module to dive deeper into cross-cultural communication research and practices that challenge traditional Western forms of discourse.

4.“The Common Bar” (Robert Abel Martinez) explores the building of musical skills as an “invisible force” that brings students together to make music. While Martinez refers to the fixed do solfege system, teachers should use whatever methods are congruent with their students’ needs. Readers should note that this section (p. 42) makes some spurious designations for solfege syllables in the teaching of intervals. Hopefully a future edition will amend this portion.

5.“Turning the Culture Tide of Your Program” (Hope Kesling Mithaler) provides a framework to organically transform a disconnected program into one of safety, strength, and success by promoting student co-teaching and leadership opportunities.

6.“I Need You to Survive” (Edward P. Norris III) is similar to Module 2 in that it uses student experiences and culture in the learning process, but it focuses on how the uniqueness of one’s individuality contributes to the larger choral tapestry. For some, it may be helpful to start with Module 6 first and then move to Module 2.

7.“#ClassroomCulture” (Cindy Ellis) provides a foundation for using social media in music education. This module provides a vital opportunity for teachers to design culturally relevant curriculum by challenging appropriation and assumptions promoted by the mass media (i.e., societal curriculum).

8.“Servant Leadership” (Ryan Ellis) focuses on exploring leadership qualities in others and oneself through the art of choral music.

Ferdinand incorporates two unique learning components in this volume. First, Cindy Ellis’s interactive segment about instructional design includes videos, recordings, activities, and community connections. Each module clearly defines learning objectives that meet the National Core Art and Social Emotional Learning Standards. Second, Henry Leck’s added artwork addresses the interdisciplinary connections of the visual arts in the music learning processes, in tandem with oral/aural learning pedagogies. Leck challenges music educators to use colors and visuals in the teaching of music—as the voice has many timbres, because of the varied employment of resonators and the vocal mechanism.

Teaching Beyond the Music is a relevant tool for any current and preservice music educator. While modules are clear and concise, they are also malleable enough to be crafted into individualized music-making experiences that meet students’ needs. This book will remind choir directors of their calling to be wholesome practitioners—healing the world through music and the contributions that ethnically, culturally, and artistically diverse communities have and continue to give to humankind.

— Timothy Little Trần

Dr. Timothy Little Trần is the Director of Choral Studies and Assistant Professor of Music at Slippery Rock University.

The Voices I Hear: A Philosophical and Practical Approach to the Choral Art

Will Kesling,

Foreword

by Z. Randall Stroope

GIA Publications, 2022

472 pages, soft cover

$39.95

ISBN: 978-1622776436 and vocal technique, and the sometimes strained relationship between orchestral musicians and choral conductors, among others. Readers may disagree with some of Kesling’s positions, such as the near exclusive use of sectional, rather than mixed, formations, and it is unfortunate that Kesling uses the now-dated terms “men” and “women” when referring to sectional rehearsals rather than the names of the voice parts. However, his overall message is valuable, especially for young conductors who are still discovering their own best practices.

In The Voices I Hear, Will Kesling draws on his extensive experience as a conductor to create a resource that addresses a broad cross-section of the duties of choral conductors and the skills necessary to be successful in performing those duties. Through anecdotes from his career and information from other resources, Kesling synthesizes topics that are often divided amongst several different courses of study.

In six sections (each with several chapters), Kesling discusses developing a choral sound, the conductor’s responsibility as voice teacher, programming, interpretation, historical performance practice, and rehearsal techniques. Sections one and two focus on singing, specifically—the first on choral sound and the second on the individual singer—section four on interpretation—with a significant emphasis on the importance of score study—and section six with rehearsal techniques and the challenges of combining chorus with orchestra. Kesling’s thoughts in these sections mostly seem to follow conventional wisdom, often referencing the practices of other conductors who have inspired many in the profession, such as Robert Shaw and Don Neuen. He does, however, offer some alternate perspectives from his own experience (his practice of placing the sopranos to the conductor’s right for choral-orchestral works being one notable departure from the norm).

Section three deals with Kesling’s approach to programming, using several different programming models—such as a thematic format—as a starting point to devise interesting programs. Kesling offers sample programs drawn from his career and based on each model. As much as understanding these various models can be useful to a conductor, seeing the pieces Kesling chose in the sample programs themselves could also serve to inspire future programming ideas.

In these sections, he also discusses placement of individual singers within a section, choral diction

Readers may find significant value in the fifth section, “Keys to Periods.” In these six chapters, Kesling discusses issues of performance practice for traditional historical eras, plus “Keys to Spirituals,” as Kesling titles chapter 19. Although not a comprehensive discussion of performance practice minutiae, Kesling manages to address some of the most pressing issues of performing music from each period—use of instruments and the approach to vibrato in the Renaissance and the challenges of experimental 20th-century music, for example—while also suggesting resources for deeper exploration. Aside from the chapter on spirituals and a short section discussing the influence of “world music”—another term that has perhaps passed its prime—and jazz, however, Kesling does not discuss music of non-classical genres. Despite this omission, however, readers may find this section a handy reference guide when performing historical repertoire from the Western canon.

The Voices I Hear serves as a jumping-off point for discussion of the issues that choral conductors face in many aspects of their work. It is not a conducting textbook, but does address gesture; it is not a choral methods textbook, but does offer advice for structuring a rehearsal and developing choral tone; it is not a vocal pedagogy textbook, but does discuss vocal technique; and it is not a performance practice treatise, but does provide tips and resources for performing music of various styles. In bringing these topics together in one text, Kesling highlights the broad range of skills and knowledge a choral conductor needs to be successful and how they work together. Some dated language and lack of discussion of non- classical genres aside, The Voices I Hear could serve well as the centerpiece for an undergraduate choral methods course or perhaps even for a graduate conducting seminar. In either case, the instructor will likely want to explore certain topics in greater detail, with The Voices I Hear serving as a central hub with spokes reaching out to additional resources.

— Andrew Martin

Dr. Andrew Martin serves as Director of Choral Activities and Coordinator of the Fine Arts Program at the University of Tennessee Southern in Pulaski, Tennessee.